Top 8 Gorges in Macedonia

At the beginning of the Matka Canyon, there are various stalls, then a narrow path leads along the cliffs past the dam to the oldest artificial lake in the country. There, you can continue by boat or enjoy a meal and a drink at the restaurant. When I was there on a Monday, it was relatively quiet, so it was possible to cycle into the gorge. During peak season or on weekends, this would probably be impossible. There are ten caves in the Matka Canyon, the shortest of which is 20 meters long and the longest 176 meters. Visitors and tourists can explore the Vrelo Cave during a 20-minute boat ride in the Matka Canyon.

It can get very crowded on weekends in spring and summer, with cars and tour buses backing up the small access road. But the views and scenery are incredibly beautiful. The water of the Treska River, which flows through the gorge, is ice-cold even in summer. A refreshing dip is still worthwhile. Worthwhile: There's a 20-km hiking trail from Vodno to the Matka Gorge and vice versa, offering breathtaking views of the gorge and the surrounding area. For example, you can hike from Skopje to the gorge and then take a taxi back.

It can get very crowded on weekends in spring and summer, with cars and tour buses backing up the small access road. But the views and scenery are incredibly beautiful. The water of the Treska River, which flows through the gorge, is ice-cold even in summer. A refreshing dip is still worthwhile. Worthwhile: There's a 20-km hiking trail from Vodno to the Matka Gorge and vice versa, offering breathtaking views of the gorge and the surrounding area. For example, you can hike from Skopje to the gorge and then take a taxi back.

Wonderful landscape. The Matka Monastery is worth seeing here.

The border from Kosovo to Macedonia is only open for locals (people from Kosovo and Macedonia). If you're foreign, even as an EU citizen there is no way border police will let you pass. So consider this route CLOSED if you come from Kosovo.

In the lower, 44 km long section of its course, the Radika continues to flow south, having carved a long and 1 km deep gorge between the Korab and Dešat mountains to the west and Bistra (to the east). There are many interesting places along the Radika valley, including the villages of Velebrdo, Rostuša, Janče, Prisojnica and Skudrinje, the Monastery of St. Jovan Bigorski, the Kosovratska Banja spa (with sulphurous water up to 49 °C) and the unique Alčija cave, formed from alabaster. Alabaster is abundant in the area and is mined and processed in the town of Debar for industrial and commercial purposes. After the gorge, the Radika receives its largest tributary, the Valovica river from the right, and flows along the northern slopes of the Stogovo mountain. After the villages of Dolno Kosovrasti, Dolno Melničani, Gorenci and Rajčica, the Radika flows into the Black Drin, just south of Debar. The Black Drin is one of the tributaries of the Drin river, while the next is the White Drin, which originates from Kosova. In fact, the lowest section of the river is flooded by the artificial lake Debar on the Black Drin, forming one of the lake's bays. From the pictures you can see how powerfully the Radika digs through the rocks, it's a must-see 👍

Mavrovo National Park (Macedonian: Национален Парк Маврово Nacionalen Park Mavrovo, Albanian: Parku Kombëtar i Mavrovës) is the largest of the four national parks in North Macedonia. It was founded in 1949 and has an area of 731 km². It is located in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, southwest of the city of Gostivar. Originally the national park had an area of 118 km². In 1952 it was expanded, at the same time Lake Mavrovo was created - a 13.7 km² reservoir located at 1233 m above sea level - which supplies the surrounding area with electricity.[1] The village of Mavrovi Anovi, which was flooded by the lake, was rebuilt north of the lake. The highest point in the national park is Korab Peak. The national park is used by tourists for hiking, cycling and skiing; there are hotels, holiday homes and ski lifts. Hiking trails are only sporadically marked. Worth seeing are the Duf waterfall near Bituše, the village of Galičnik and the Sveti Jovan Bigorski monastery. Large parts of the national park consist of grassland, as large areas of forest were cleared up until the early 1950s to facilitate the intensive sheep farming of the time. Norway spruce and beech grow in particular at higher altitudes, while various types of oak can be found at lower altitudes. Animal species found in the national park include the western rock vole, the Martino snow vole, the western blind vole, the Balkan mole, several species of shrews and bats, as well as otters, wild cats, lynxes, wolves and brown bears, as well as numerous rare amphibians, reptiles and insects. There were plans for two hydroelectric power plants in the national park that would have threatened the survival of the Balkan lynx. The park is home to the most significant population of the critically endangered lynx species. A campaign by the environmental organization Eko-svest led by Ana Čolović Lešoska resulted in the project's building permit being revoked in 2016.[2][3] A part of the national park, namely the valley of the river Dlaboka Reka ("Deep River") flowing through the national park, was included in the transnational World Heritage Site "Ancient Beech Forests and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe" in 2021.[4]

Small place below the reservoir. The parking lots are there. (Free.) Also several restaurants.